Distribution

Weather related closures and tax refund delays hit Hibbett Sports hard in the fourth quarter, as the retailer posted a drop in same store sales.

Party City on Thursday posted an increase in same-store sales and profit for the fourth quarter and said it is on track to expand its footprint this year.

But it also cautioned that sales may slow.

Party City reported a profit of $86.5 million for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, up from $79 million a year earlier. On a per-share basis, earnings declined to 72 cents from 83 cents.

Total revenue slipped 2.8% to $781.5 million. Same-store sales increased 2.8%, fueled by a strong Halloween season.

Ross Dress for Less has added three new locations to its growing portfolio.

The retailer opened two 25,000-sq.-ft. stores in Wisconsin on March 5, including one in Milwaukee, at the Point Loomis Shopping Center. The second store is in Oshkosh, at the Market Fair Shopping Center.

In addition, Ross opened a 30,000-sq.-ft. store in Fountain Valley, California, at the Costco Center. Including the new location, Ross now operates 276 stores in California, its largest state.

Retailers looking to place blame for problems with inventory or fulfillment may want to find a target besides their IT systems.

According to a new survey of 200 retailers from inventory management technology provider Stitch Labs, two-thirds (63%) of inventory or fulfillment issues are caused by human error from manual process management. Delayed shipment from suppliers causes another 15% of inventory and fulfillment difficulties, with faulty technology only responsible only 12.5% of the time.

It’s not drones, but Amazon.com has found a new way to make quicker deliveries via air. According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon is leasing 20 Boeing 767 freighters as part of a deal with air cargo provider Air Transport Services. The agreement is intended to supplement Amazon’s existing delivery network. Amazon also purchased thousands of its own branded tractor-trailer trucks in December 2015. [Wall Street Journal]

Specialty grocery delivery service Wholeshare takes what might be called a “democratic” approach to offering customers online access healthy food products.

“We let consumers buy natural and organic food as a group at wholesale prices,” said Matt Hatoun, co-founder of San Francisco-based Wholeshare. “We cut out the supermarket or natural foods store. We go to the same wholesalers they use.”

Publix Super Markets is entering the eastern portion of the North Carolina market.

Publix will be coming to Greenville Square, a 150,000-sq-ft center, formerly anchored by K Mart, which will be completely renovated with a new façade, parking lot, lighting package and landscaping. The 49,000-sq-ft Publix will open in 2017 along with several new national, regional, and local tenants.

Brodyco is the developer for the partnership of David Brody, Hyman Brody, and Robert Beller, who purchased Greenville Square in 2005.

E-commerce has reached a new high at Dick’s Sporting Goods, but that doesn’t mean the nation’s leading sporting goods retailer is backing away from store expansion.